Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4
भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । नष्टवंशस्तु यो ब्रूयान्नागरोऽस्मीति संसदि । तस्य शीलं प्रविज्ञेयं ततः शुद्धिं समादिशेत्
bhartṛyajña uvāca | naṣṭavaṃśastu yo brūyānnāgaro'smīti saṃsadi | tasya śīlaṃ pravijñeyaṃ tataḥ śuddhiṃ samādiśet
Bhartṛyajña bersabda: Bila seseorang yang garis keturunannya telah lenyap menyatakan di sidang, ‘Aku seorang Nāgara,’ maka hendaklah terlebih dahulu diteliti dengan saksama śīla-nya (laku-utama); sesudah itu barulah ditetapkan penyucian yang patut baginya.
Bhartṛyajña
Listener: Mahārāja (king; addressed as narottama/mahārāja)
Scene: A royal or learned assembly (saṃsad) where a man of uncertain lineage declares himself a Nāgara; elders and brāhmaṇas deliberate, weighing his conduct and prescribing purification.
FAQs
When genealogy is uncertain, character and conduct become the decisive dharmic measure for restoring ritual standing.
The broader discourse is situated in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa’s Nāgara-khaṇḍa.
A two-step method: (1) ascertain śīla in an assembly, (2) then prescribe the appropriate śuddhi (purificatory validation).